Railroad safety appliance.



W. G. SMITH.

RAILROAD SAFETY APPLIANCE. APPLICATION FILED APILB, 1913.

1,093,492. Patented A r.14, 1914 8 SHEETS-SHEET l.

Patented "Apr. 14, 1914.

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Patented Apr. 14, 1914 3 BHEET E-SHEET 3.

' awuwtqz WILLIAM GREENLEAF SMITH, 0F WATERBURY, CONNECTICUT.

RAILROAD SAFETY APPLIANCE.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 1a, 1914..

Application filed April 5, 1913. Serial No. 759,084.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, WILLIAM G. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Waterbury, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Railroad Safety Appliances, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a device for regulating the speed of railway trains at points of special danger, and especially when approaching facing point switches, or a cross over or turn out.

Broadly speaking the invention consists in the arrangement of certain devices along the road bed, and at a distance from the point of danger, said devices operating inunison with or in conjunction with a switch or semaphore when the switch is thrown into open position or if a danger signal is displayed any train passing the road bed device at a speed exceeding that permitted by the rules of the railroad company will be automatically stopped by the setting of the air brakes. On the other hand if the train passes the road bed devices at or below the speed permitted there is no interference with the train. The devices further permit the engineer, if not physically disabled, to regain control of his train and to proceed at a reduced speed without coming to a full stop, although the train will be brought to a full stop if there is no action upon the part of the engineer.

Concisely stated the invention consists in arranging upon the road bed a vertically movable arm adapted to be struck by the handle of a valve controlling the application of the air brakes, said arm being normally locked in an operative position. A contact carried by the engine is adapted to set in operation another mechanism which throws a ball along the upwardly inclined plane, the said ball striking a tripping mechanism and releasing the arm first mentioned provided the ball is thrown with suflicient momentum to trip the locking mechanism, as the travel of the ball depends upon the speed of the train and also in part upon the weight of the ball, it will'be obvious that a ball may be employed which will release the arm mechanism only when the speed of the train exceeds a certain limit, and at all lesser speeds the ball will not be thrown a sufficient distance or with sufficient force to unlockthe arm to be engaged by the valve handle, and consequently there will be no interference with the travel of the train.

The above briefly outlines the invention and it will be obvious that several various mechanical arrangements can be employed for carrying out the invention. I have however illustrated a particular form of the device in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is an outline elevation of a locomotive and tender showing the position of the parts carried bythe train. Fig. 2 is a plan view of a portion of a railroad track having a turn-out and a switch, and showing the relative arrangement of the road bed devices and also showing bymeans of arrows the paths of travel of'the train devices. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section through the road bed devices. Fig. 4 is a vertical section through said devices taken along the line of an inclined plane upon which the ball travels. Fig. 5 is a vertical longitudinal section through the road bed devices which carry the ball throwing mechanism. Fig. 6 is a vertical longitudinal section through the companion casing which carries the arm engaged by the air valve handle.

Considering especially Figs. 1 and 2 it will be noted that thereis placed upon the forward part of the engine, as for example upon the pilot a suitable contact member A, and upon the rear truck of the tender a valve handle B of a suitable valve controlling communication through a flexible pipe section C, which in turn is connected with any suitable part of the air brake system. It is the arrangement and not the construction of these parts which is material and the handle B projects farther to one side of the train than the contact A, so that the contact A will travel along the path A indicated by the arrows in Fig. 9., while the valve handle B will pass along the path B as indicated by the second line of arrows. Arranged adjacent the track and upon any suitable part of the road bed are suitable casings 1 and 2, and the casing 1 is provided with an arm 3 adapted to be struck by the contact A, while the casing 2 carries an oppositely extending arm 4; adapted to be engaged by the valve handle B, thereby throwing said handle into open position and applying the brakes. The mechanism c0n taincd in these casings is suitably connected to the switch operating mechanism or in the case of a cross over, bridge or other danger point connection may be made to the signal operating devices.

Referring more especially to those parts arranged in the casing 1 it will be noted that the said casing is provided with a vertical partition 5, which partition is vertically slotted to form a guide-way for the vertical portion of the arm 3, said arm having the outline of the letter F. As shown in Fig. 3 the vertical portion of the arm 3 is cylindrical throughout a portion of its length and is mounted so that it can rotate in its bearings thereby permitting the upper horizontal member of the arm to swing in a horizontal plane while the entire arm is also capable of vertical movement. Vertical movement is effected by pivoting to a suitable bearing block 6 a lever '4', one end of which is pivotally connected to a bracket 8, which also forms a portion of the bearings for the arm 3 and the opposite end of the lever is provided with an adjustable weight 8. A suitable pull wire 9 is connected to the weighted end of the lever 7 and said wire runs over one of a set of pulleys 10 carried in a bracket 11 and through a suitable opening in the casing. Pull wire openings are preferably formed in the rear end and one side of the casing and the pulleys 10 are placed at right angles to each other so that the pull wire can pass out through either the end of the casing or through the side, or two wires may be connected to the lever one traveling over one pulley and out of the end of the casing and the other over the other pulley and out through the side of the casing, said wires being both indicated atboth 12 and 13, respectively, in Fig. 2.

In addition to the upper horizontal member the arm 3 is provided with a laterally extending member 3 arranged within the casing. There is also provided a guide 141 for the arm in the form of a semi-cylindrical plate secured to the front face of the partition and having its upper edge segmentally cut away, which edge would be engaged by the arm 3 upon descent of the arm3, provided the arm had been rotated out of its normal position, the said curved edge of the plate 14 guiding the arms 3 and 3*, back into normal position.

The casing 2 carries the L-shaped arm 4 r the upper angled portion of which extends in an opposite direction from the upper horizontal member of the arm 3, this casing also contains a bearing block 15, to which is pivoted a lever 16 having a weight 17 at one end and pivotally connected at the opposite end to the arm 4;. The same system of pulleys and pull wires found in the casing 1 are also found in the casing 2 and will therefore not need any additional description.

Connecting the two casings at their for- Ward ends is a slightly inclined chute 18 and in order to provide suflicient room in the casing 1 I provide said casing at its upper front portion with a lateral extension 1 into which the lower end of the chute 18 opens, this chute contains a ball 19' and a plunger 20 adapted to strike the ball. Said plunger is pivotally connected by means of a pitman 21 to the arm 3 The extension 1 is provided for the purpose of allowing ample room for the movement of said pitman. 7

The vertical movement of the arm 3 is controlled at all times by the'pull wires entering the casing 1, but this is not true of the arm 1. The lever 16 is mounted upon a pin 22 and upon said pin is also fixed a link 23 pivotally connected to a bar 24:, the I free end of which works through a supportmg bracket 25, and said bar is provided with a notch 26. A second bracket 27 forms in conjunction with a bracket 25 bearings.

plate 29 arranged at right angles tothe lever and adapted to extend over the upper mouth of the chute 18. The material of which the lever is constructed is so disposed that the plate 29 normally rests against the chute and when the bar 24 is moved forwardly, which position it occupies only when the arm 4: is lowered, the said lever will engage the notch and prevent rearward movement of the bar 2 1, and consequently upward movement of the arm 1 until said lever has been tripped. Suitable springs 80 are secured to the front of the casing 1 and also to the arm 3 and assist in holding the upper horizontal member of said arm in the proper position.

The wires 12 may be connected in any suitable manner with the rocking shaft 31, it being common to extend such pipe sections adjacent railway tracks from signal towers to switches or to other devices to be operated. It is immaterial what connections are made so long as the wires 12 and 13 are taut or under tension when the speed of the train is not to be interfered with and said wires are slack when the weighted ends of levers are to fall and the arms 3 and 4 are to be lifted into operative position.

In operation, as for example when approaching an open switch the opening of the switch will slack the pull wires, the weight 8 will drop thereby rocking the lever '7 and lifting the arm 3 into position where it will be struck by the contact A. The pull wire in the casing 2 will also be slackencd but the weight 17 will not drop because the lever 28" upper horizontal portion of the arm 3, said arm will be rocked in its bearings thereby actuating the plunger 20 and throwing the ball 19, and the extent of said throw will depend upon the speed of the train. If the speed is excessive the ball will be propelled against the plate 29 thereby rocking the lever 28 and releasing the bar 24, the weighted end of the lever 16 then drops lifting the arm 4 into position to be engaged by the valve handle B, thus applying the air brakes.

It is believed that from the above description and from the accompanying drawings all parts of the device will be made clear.

I do not desire to limit myself to the particular details of construction shown herein as many minor changes could be made in these parts without in any way affecting the actual invention or changing the mode of operation.

What I claim is 1. A device of the kind described comprising a normally locked operating device adj acent a track adapted to cooperate with a suitable brake setting device carried by a train, a releasing mechanism, an upwardly inclined chute leading to said mechanism, a ball freely movable in said chute, and means adapted to be actuated by passage of a train for throwing said ball.

2. In a railway safety device, means carried by a train for releasing air brake pressure in the train pipe line, an obstruction arranged adjacent the road bed, means for normally locking said obstruction in an inoperative position with respect to the air pressure releasing means, a freely movable ball adapted to strike said locking means and release the obstruction, said ball returning to its original position by gravity, and means adapted to be engaged by a train for striking said ball.

3. The combination with the handle of an air brake valve, said handle being carried by a train, of an obstruction adapted to be struck by said handle when in operative position, means for locking said obstruction in an inoperative position a freely moving body adapted to release said obstruction and means set in operation by passage of an engine for acting upon said freely moving body, the force exerted upon said body being in proportion to the speed of travel of the train.

4. A safety device comprising means carried partially by a train and arranged partially adjacent the road bed for reducing the speed of said train at a particular point, the means arranged adjacent the road bed being normally locked in an inoperative position, a freely movable body adapted when projected against said locking means to release the. same, and means partly carried by an engine and partly arranged adjacent the road bed for setting said body in motion, as and for the purpose set forth.

5. A safety device comprising means carried in part by a train and in part arranged adjacent a road bed for setting the air brakes upon the train at a predetermined point, means for locking that portion of the device adjacent the road bed in inoperative position, an inclined chute, a ball adapted to be projected up said chute and to engage and release said locking means, and means carried in part by an engine and in part arranged adjacent the road bed for propelling said ball, the force exerted upon said ball varying with the speed of the train.

6. A safety device comprising a contact carried by an engine and valve operating means carried by a tender, said contact and said operating means being out of alinement with each other, an obstruction arranged adjacent a road bed adapted to be engaged by said contact, a second obstruction normally held in inoperative position and adapted to be lifted into the path of travel with the valve operating means, an inclined chute arranged between the two obstructions, a ball freely movable therein and means operatively connected to the obstruction adapted to be engaged by the engine contact for propelling said ball with a force in proportion to the speed of the engine, said ball when propelled with a predetermined force releasing the other obstruction.

7 A device of the kind described comprising two vertically movable arms, means tending to lift both of said arms vertically, means for locking one of said arms against vertical movement, an inclined chute ar ranged between said arms, a ball therein, a plunger working in said chute and pivotally connected to the other arm, the ball when engaged by said plunger with sufficient force being adapted to travel up said chute and strike said locking means for the purpose of releasing the locked arm, a contact carried by an engine adapted to strike the arm connected to said plunger, and valve operated means carried by the train to the rear of and at a distance from said contact and adapted to engage the other arm when unlocked and elevated.

WILLIAM GREENLEAF SMITH.

Witnesses:

THOMAS M. FRENEY, JOHN L. GAFFNEY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

. Washington, D. C. 

